Permutation-lock.



PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903.

' B. DUBLIN. 'PERMUTATION LOCK. APPLIOA-TION I'ILED JUNE 27, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

Hdiigzsses I UNITED STATES Patented August 4, 19653.

PATENT OFFICE.

BYRON DUBLIN, OF ELDRED, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CARL D.MARSH, OF ELDRED, PENNSYLVANIA.

PERM UTATION-LOCK.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,225, dated August4, 1903.

Application filed June 27, 1902- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BYRON DUBLIN, a citizen of the United States,residingat Eldred, in the county of McKean and State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Permutation-Lock, of which thefollowing-is a specification.

This invention relates generally to permutation-locks, and particularlyto that classemployed upon post-office letter-boxes.

The object of the invention is in a simple, ready, feasible, andthoroughly practical manner to effect shifting of the tumblers in boththe act of opening and of closing the door, thereby at once to prevent abystander from ascertaining the combination, and to render manualoperation .of the combination-indicators unnecessary when the door isshut and a locked, so that if the box-renter fails to shift thetumblers, as is necessary with locks of this character in general use,it will be-a matter of no moment, as this will have been automaticallyeffected by the attachment constituting the gist of the presentinvention.

Afurther object is to accomplish the results above specified without anychange in the structural arrangement of the look, thereby rendering iteasy to apply the device of this invention to a lock already in use withbut little labor and at a slight cost.

With these and other objects in View, as will appear as thenature of theinvention is better understood, thesame consists, generally stated, incombining with the lock-tumblers a reciprocatory element provided withmeans for engaging the tumblers, .and an automaticallyoperating devicecoacting with the said element to cause one of thecombination-indicators to be shifted when the door is opened, the othercombination-indicator being shifted when the door is closed by coactionbetween the reciprocatory element and a part of the doorfram'e orcasing.

The invention consists,further, in the novel details of construction ofan automaticallyoperating lock-combination shifting device, as will be"hereinafter fully described and claimed.

i In the accompanying'drawings, forming a part of thisfspecification,and in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding SerialNo. 113,430. (No model.)

parts, there is illustrated one form of embodiment of the inventioncapable of carrying the same into practical operation, it beingunderstood that the elements therein exhibited may be varied or changedas to shape, proportion, and exact manner of assemblage withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation, partly in section, ofa letter-box equipped with the device of the present invention, the doorbeing locked. Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the door open. Fig. 3 isa View in vertical transverse section through the door and lock. Fig. 4is a detached detail view in perspective of the tumbler-shifting deviceconstituting the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the casing or door-frame of anordinary letter-' box, and 2 the door, and as these parts may be of theusual or any preferred construction detailed illustration thereof isdeemed unnecessary. Secured to the door is a lock 3, of the permutationtype in common use in many post-offices. In this instance the lock isshown as provided with two peripherallynotched-tumblers 4 and 5; but itis to be understood that the invention is adaptable in connection with alock having a greater number of tumblers. The tumbler 4 has con= nectedwith it a shank 6, which extends to the front of the door and carriesone of the combination-indicators, in this instance a knob 7 and apointer 8, and the tumbler 5 has associated with it the othercombination-imdicator, consisting of a dial-9, with which is associatedan operating-stud 10. The general description here given of the lock andcombination elements is deemed to be sufficient to render clear anunderstanding of the case, particularly as the exact manner ofconstruction of these parts hasnothing to do with the present invention.

The novelty of the invention resides in a tumbler-shifting device whichis rendered operable on both movements of the door-'-that is to say,when it is opened and closed. This device, which is illustrated indetail in Fig. 4, comprises a reciprocatory member 11, provided with acurved terminal 12, adapted to' engage with one of the walls of a recess13 1 19, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

in the door-casing, and intermediate of its ends with twooppositely-disposed downward. ly-extending tumbler-engaging dogs 14 and15, the former of which coacts with the tumbler of the dial and thelatter with the tumbler of the pointer. Adjacent to the arm 12 themember 11 is provided with an orifice 16, through which projects thereduced upper end of a spring 17, which is held in operative positionwith relation to the member, in this instance by being secured betweenone edge of the glass panel 18 and two panel-keepers It is to beunderstood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to thisprecise manner of securing the said spring, as the same result may beotherwise attained and still be within the scope of the invention. Thefunction of the spring is to hold the reciprocatory member in theposition shown in Fig. 2 and the function of the wall 20 of the recess13 to hold the said member in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The tumbler-engaging dogs 14 and 15 are in this instance shown asintegral with the member 11 and are produced by cutting a slot 21 in themember and then severing one wall of the slot and bending the two armsthus formed downward to present dogs; but it is to be understood that ifpreferred the dogs may be made as separate elements and secured to themember 11 and still be within the scope of the invention. The member 11is held in operative position with relation to the tumblers by beingpassed between the upper side flangeof the lock-casing 23 and its endflanges, the

free terminal of the element being upturned, as at 24, to present a stopto limit the longitudinal movement of the member.

The operation of the device is as follows: The tumblers having beenactuated in the usual manner to bring the gates thereof into alinementwith the locking-bolt 25, the bolt operating button or handle 26 isturned or moved to force the latch out of engagement with thestrike-plate 27. As soon as the door starts to open'the spring 17 beginsto draw back the member 11, thereby causing the dog 15 to engage withthe notches of the pointertumbler and effect shifting of the pointeraway from the number on the dial to which it was moved. When the door isclosed, the terminal 12 of the spring is brought into engagement withthe wall 20 of the recess, thus moving the member laterally and causingthe dog 14 to engage with the notches of the dialtumbler and effectshifting of the dial away from the indicating-mark on the door to whichit was moved. It will thus be seen that the necessity of any attentionon the part of the box-renter to eifeot shifting of the combination forthe purposes defined is rendered entirely unnecessary, therebypositively obviating all danger of the combination becoming known to anunauthorized person, or of loss of mail-matter, which might result werethe box left unlocked.

It will of course be understood that various changes of the proportionsof the parts of the device shown and also the manner in which it isassociated with the lock may be resorted to without departing from thespirit of the invention, the broad underlying feature of which is theprovision of means actuated by the opening and closing of the door toeifect shifting of the tumbler.

While the invention is herein described as employed in connection with aletter-box door, it will be obvious that it may be employed in anyposition where its use will be found advantageous or desirable.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a lock, the combination with the tumblers, of a reciprocatorydevice carrying.

means adapted alternately to engage and shift the tumblers.

2. In a lock, the combination with the tumblers, of an element carryingtumbler-shifting devices, and means for reciprocating the said elementto cause the said devices alternately to shift a tumbler.

3. In a lock, the combination with the tumblers, of an element providedwith tumblershifting means, and an automatically-operating devicecoacting with the said element to cause the said means to shift one ofthe tumblers when the door carrying the lock is opened, and means tocause the said element to shift another tumbler when the door is closed.

4. The combination with a door carrying a lock provided withperipherally-notched tum blers, of a slide-plate actuated by the openingand closing of the door, and means carried by the plate and operatingalternately to effect shifting ofa tumbler.

5. The combination with a lock provided with peripherally-notchedtumblers, of a reciprocatory element provided with means for engagingsaid notches, and an automaticallyoperating device coacting with thereciprocatory element to cause it, when the door is opened, to shift oneof the tumblers, and means coacting with the said element to cause it,when the door is closed, to shift another tumbler.

6. The combination with a door carryinga lock provided withperipherally-notched tumwith a curved terminal, a spring carried by thedoor with which the lock is associated and operating, when the door isopened to move the element in one direction, and a projection on thedoor-casing adapted to engage the curved terminal to move the elementinthe opposite direction when the door is closed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BYRON DUBLIN.

Witnesses:

A. D. GOULD,

B EVERLY WAUGH RICE.

